This book, inspired by the Wired blog of the same name (and, to which, some time ago, I was lucky enough to contribute), is full of the same sort of playful enthusiasm editor Ken Denmead and the rest of the GeekDads bring to their online writing.

Finally, inspiration for the indoorsy Dad who wants to bond with the kids over something other than touch football, but more than videogames! This book beautifully fuses geekiness with DIY, and there are creative projects that go way beyond the expected Legos and Coke + Mentos display. Create-you-own board game, windup toy finger painting, cyborg Jack-o-lanterns…the fun goes on and on.

Even better, there are outdoor projects that encourage the intellectuals out into the fresh air. How about setting up an outdoor movie theater? Or staging an outdoor version of your kid's favorite videogame? Think: A Mario-style obstacle course in your front yard.

There's so much fun, learning, and woot! energy in this book, I would venture to say it's a Father's Day must-have.

Win it! If I were smart I would have posted this review two weeks ago so you could have given your potential winnings as a gift! Alas, it's not to be. But I've still got three copies to give away…perfect for Geek Dads who want to share their bounty with friends. I'll randomly choose three Parenthackers who answer the following question in the comments:

Comments

I bought my geeky husband a brand spankin’ new copy of ProMotion Plus for father’s day this year. it’s a great little program for animator’s and pixel artists. I gave it to him so he could recreate old adventure games of yore (that’s his hobby) with a more authentic flavor. he’s currently working on the sequel to Loom. Haha.

I got my dad a GPS computer for his road bike so he could track himself in all his nerdy glory. I also got him a spool of solder one year, for his soldering iron, back in the 80s when he was making his own computers.

MEMENTO it asks questions and then gives room for the dad to fill in his answers. I think I’ll get one for each of my parents for Christmas too. I love that it asks questions about his childhood and the kids will be able to know more about him when he was younger.

My husband is really into music- so for Father’s Day I give him one i-Tunes card that is all for himself, and one to use for picking out music for our son. He has fun picking out new music and we expand our son’s playlists at the same time.

My three year old came home from daycare with a card for my husband .. and one for me, too. When I asked him why I was getting a card, he said, “Because … I just love you and I wanted to celebrate.” Aww. Best (and only!) father’s day present I ever got.

I started a notebook for his first father’s day. Every year I write a summary of the year with pictures written from the kid’s point of view. Just a one pager. Hopefully the kids will help more next year. That’s my favorite, but his favorite might be a voltage meter.

I’m taking Husband to see a play at the local theater for Father’s Day — it’s been one of his favorite movies forever and it was luck that I noticed the flyer while trying to figure out what to get him. Wondering what we’re going to see? Noises Off. If they do half as well locally as they did in the movie version it will be great fun.

(My best presents have accidentally been reserved for Valentines Day where 10 years ago I’d gotten him the VCR tape of Predator and taped it to the wall along with two bags of foil-wrapped heart candy, scattered throughout the house, and the replay of that with a DVD a few years later.)

This book sounds awesome! We are a geek family extraordinaire so it won’t be just the menfolk plowing through the activities.

I think the best father’s day presents I’ve ever given, based on the reactions of the recipients, were:

– for my dad, it was the thank-you letter I wrote to him the year after my son was born. That’s when I truly understood how much he loved me, and I wanted to let him know that, and that I appreciated it. It was just your standard “Thanks for being the best Dad ever!” letter, but I think it meant much more when it wasn’t being dictated by a grade school teacher to students that can’t spell half the words in it, lol.

– for my husband it was a kick in the head. No really. He felt our son’s first kick on Father’s Day. I’d been feeling him kicking for a couple of weeks by then, but every time I called my husband over to feel it as well the baby would stop by the time he got there. On Father’s Day he got up to go to work and as he was saying bye to the baby he got kicked square in the ear.

Both of these made the fathers in question tear up and get all sappy. It was awesome.

I think the best FD gift I’ve given is the one I’m going to give my husband this year. I spent the past 12 months taking photographs of him and the kids together and I had them all printed in a very sleek photo book to put on his desk. Oh, and I gave birth to his 3rd child a week ago…does that count? haha

The best gift I ever got was a photo collage of all my daughters doing geeky stuff (snorkel gear in the bathtub, etc). All the photos where in their hand prints cut out of water color they all collaborated on.

It will always hold a special spot on the book case next to my computer desk.

After a run in with a snake in the house while I was pregnant I got my husband a pair of snake tongs for his first Father’s Day. Although I really hope no more get in the house. Thanks for the giveaway.

My dad is getting a Wii for Father’s Day this year (thanks to my brother who paid for it, and we are setting it up). He is going to be blown away. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten anything for my poor husband yet But this would probably redeem me so I hope I win one!

My dad loves books that make rather esoteric things like chemistry and economics more accessible. His favorite gift recently was “Napoleon’s Buttons” about the huge impact that chemicals have in history.

My favorite father’s day gift was the year my wife saved up some money from a side job she had been working for a number of months and completely surprised me on that morning with a list (with pictures) of things that I could get with that money- it didn’t matter so much what I ended up buying, but the thought and effort that went into it.

My daughter was only 1 at the time, but last year she “painted” my husband a beautiful card. It “said” something like “Happy Father’s Day” and “I love you, Daddy”, but really it was just a few splotches of blue paint I think he loved it just fine, though

My husband will celebrate his very first Father’s Day tomorrow and his gift is the “Mac Daddy” tee. He had no patience to wait until tomorrow to open it, so when he saw it a few days ago, he was elated. Given his obsession with everything Apple, this ode to the old school and shout out to his new stature as a father, was the perfect gift. Here’s a link to the tee: link to bustedtees.com

This year I am giving my hubs a tee with a photo of our little guy playing a fake guitar on it in black and white. I tried to make it as tacky-less as possible. If he doesn’t like it, I also had a mug printed with the same photo.
Here’s the link if you want to see it. link to momroad.blogspot.com

I’ve been eyeballing this book for a year or two down the road. My father would vote the best gifts have been some combo of poem/picture collage- he likes the crafty things (or at least says he does!) But I’m proudest of the Vikings sweatsuit – for my then 5 month old) that I got my husband (a Vikings fan displaced to Colorado) last year. He dressed kiddo in it for every Vikings game all season, and watched every game with him, narrating it as they watched. Instant bonding.

We need that book! One year I had to be out of the country on Father’s Day, so I made a meal and dessert I knew my dad would love and hid them in his freezer beforehand, then sent a card telling him. I’m not sure if that’s the best F.D. gift I’ve ever given, but it’s the best one that comes to mind.

When I heard U2 was coming to town I bought tickets my hubby and a date. Thankfully he chose me unfortunately the show is postponed so it will be a thing to keep looking forward to probably till next year.

My Dad was an airline pilot. He trained with the RAF, and flew fighter refulers. But he had mentioned a number of times that he had never been in a hot-air balloon. So a few years ago, my sister and I got him a hot-air balloon flight. I am scared of heights, but didn’t want to miss out so we all went together, He loved it!
Dad passed away last year and we miss him so much.

My husband’s first father’s day was spent on the road, coming home from a wedding for my side of the family, and he gave me a really hard time about it. But I think the gift our 2 month old daughter gave him made up for it. When he got her up that morning there was a nice double picture frame waiting in her bed for him. One side had her pic and the other had a sign that said “I ‘heart’ daddy.” The heart was made from her footprints. He still has it on his desk at work 2 years later.

Oh, this book looks likes so much fun! My partner would love it for when our little one is a bit older. So, we are only on our second Father’s Day, but this year I got him a book of photos of him and our daughter and also included all the goofy shots he took of her dressed funny and putting things are her head, etc. He’s love it. I also got him a handmade wooden cutting board from the farmer’s market–perfect for cutting up little snacks, which he is fond of–and we’ll both like it.

I think this year’s Father’s Day gift is the best so far. The kids chose their favorite pieces of art from the past year, I photographed them, and then created a museum-style art poster. It will look great in dad’s office!

My husband travels almost three weeks out of the month. So the kids and I came up with “Daddy’s TLC Kit” for when he’s on the road- some geeky stuff and some not so geeky stuff. It’s a plastic envelope (less is more) filled with a hand print from the kids, a hand-made heart, a card with emergency items (change for a newspaper, band-aids, rubberband, etc.), gift cards for coffee and food and iTunes, a hand-made picture of the kids and Daddy doing something together, and annual interview questions that the kids fill out about their thoughts of Daddy. In addition to the portable, durable envelope. We also put a picture on his phone of the kids, as well as a video of my oldest reading him a bedtime story.

Last year my son had one more month to bake and my daughter was just starting to talk. For Father’s day, my wife gave me a card signed by my unborn son and scribbled on by my silly little daughter. That’s going to be tough for my family to beat this year. Happy Father’s day everyone!

About Asha

I'm a writer living in Portland, Oregon with my husband and two kids. I'm an optimist, avoider of pigeonholes, and lover of smart conversation and a good cup of coffee. Read more >